Forever Chasing Its Action Demo, Mountain Dew Rolls Out Street-Skating Film†

Brand Is Largely Unseen in Documentary About New York Scene

Advertising Age, May 13, 2008 — Mountain Dew makes its return to film production with its new skateboard documentary, "Deathbowl to Downtown," which follows the rise of street-skating in New York's shifting urban landscapes from the '70s to the present. The documentary, which took three years to make, is as much a sports action video as it is a look back at the Big Apple.

Sampling: The New Mass Medium†

Tactic Has Won Over Likes of Starbucks, McD's and Morphs Into Big 'Event'

Advertising Age, May 12, 2008 — One of marketing's oldest and least glamorous practices — doling out free product — has come a long way from the gray-haired ladies in the supermarket aisle. No longer the province of marketers who can't afford to buy mass media, deep-pocketed giants from McDonald's to Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Dunkin' Donuts are adopting sampling on a grand scale, turning it into a media event — and, in some cases, the media buy.

Economy, Rivals No Match for BK's Marketing†

Fast Feeder Notches Sales Gain of 5.4%, Trouncing Even Ascendant McD's

Advertising Age, May 5, 2008 — Burger King is giving rivals a solid thrashing — and marketing is getting the credit.

While other fast feeders fault the recession and housing crisis for tepid sales, Burger King posted a healthy same-store-sales gain of 5.4% in its fiscal third quarter, well ahead of even McDonald's, which reported a comparatively anemic 2.9%.

No. 3 burger chain Wendy's, now in the throes of an ownership change, saw same-store sales fall 1.6% at company-run stores in the same period.

Analysts are crediting Burger King's marketing with some of the gains.

For Unilever, P&G, No Good Deed Is Going Unpunished†

Damned if You Do: Cause Efforts Become Ammo for the Critics

Advertising Age, May 5, 2008 — Greg Allgood, who directs Procter & Gamble Co.'s Children's Safe Drinking Water program, recently has spent a lot of time demonstrating Pur's purification packets for developing countries that turn disgusting, brown water crystal clear. On one TV appearance last week, he accidentally took a swig from the dirty "before" water instead of the treated water in a clip that made the rounds to "Countdown" on MSNBC.

It's symbolic of the downside companies in the forefront of ethical marketing have faced in recent weeks: No good deed goes entirely unpunished; high-profile stances on social causes can have unintended consequences; and the water is getting pretty murky as "ethical marketing" encourages consumers and activists to delve into corporate policies in... continue reading

Kraft, Kellogg Beat Analyst Expectations†

Despite Quarterly Earnings Tumble, Marketers Stick With Upping Ad Spending

Advertising Age, April 30, 2008 — In the face of rising commodity costs and cautious consumers, most brand-name food manufacturers are continuing to increase marketing investment. Kraft and Kellogg, which both reported earnings this morning, credited advertising and marketing with the strength of the companies' respective brand portfolios. Both marketers saw profits drop and simultaneously beat analyst expectations.

Charles Schwab Reaches Out To Gen X With Resourceful Site

MediaPost Publications, April 29, 2008 — Fifteen years ago, members of Gen X were perceived as slackers stuck in dead-end McJobs with a cynical view of the future. Of course, time marches on, and now they are pursuing careers, having children and thinking about retirement... says Ilkay Can, director of acquisition for Charles Schwab. "They know they want to focus on their finances, and they know they need to get started saving--they just need a little help."

Niche candymakers fall in shadow of Wrigley-Mars deal

Chicago Tribune, April 29, 2008 — Henry Rich kept a low profile Monday as he passed out samples of his top-selling mint mojito breath lozenges at the Global Food & Style Expo trade show in McCormick Place, but he knows Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. is on the trail of his tiny business.

New Wii Games Find a Big (but Stingy) Audience

Marketing its Wii video-game system at a lower price than competitors, Nintendo has caught a wider net of potential customers, but game sales have also been slower with this softer audience.

New York Times, April 21, 2008 — Ninetendo sits atop the home video-game market. Its Wii, though less technologically advanced than Microsoft’s Xbox 360 or Sony’s PlayStation 3, continues to outsell those machines and is now in more than 20 million homes.

So why are retailers having so much trouble selling Wii games?

Reversing Field, Macy's Goes Local†

Wall Street Journal, April 21, 2008 — The sprawling Macy's on State Street building here was once the home to the premier name in Chicago retailing, Marshall Field's. But about a year and a half ago, Macy's forged one chain with one name and one much-ballyhooed national strategy out of Marshall Field's, Robinsons-May, Kaufmann's and other local icons it owned across the country.

Now, after Macy Inc.'s same-store sales dropped 1.3% in 2007 from the previous year, Chief Executive Officer Terry Lundgren is changing course. He is ditching the nationwide cookie-cutter approach in favor of tailoring merchandise at the world's largest department-store chain by sales to local tastes.

Starbucks Seeks Jolt From Another Mass Tactic†

Coupons Follow Close Behind Free Samples

Advertising Age, April 21, 2008 — Howard Schultz insists he's returning Starbucks to its roots, but he's doing it with mass-marketing tactics once anathema to the original brand.

The company is estimated to have nearly doubled its marketing spending to $100 million, and last week it began an aggressive coupon program unlike anything in its history, raising questions about its turnaround strategy.